Fazle Noor Biswas
Fazle Noor Biswas is a Registered Pharmacist of the Pharmacy Council of Bangladesh. Currently, he works as the Chief Pharmacist and Coordinator at the Cancer Services & Research Centre in Dhaka, Bangladesh. He graduated from the University of Development Alternative in Dhaka, Bangladesh, with a Bachelor of Pharmacy in 2010 and a Master of Pharmacy in 2012. He earned his Master of Public Health degree in 2016 from Daffodil International University, Dhaka, Bangladesh. In 2023, he completed his Fellowship in Palliative Care at the Institute of Palliative Medicine, Kerala, India.
In 2011, Mr. Fazle began his career in palliative care by joining the Centre for Palliative Care in Bangladesh Medical University as a Project Coordinator and Clinical Pharmacist. He then joined Square Hospital Ltd., Dhaka, Bangladesh, in 2019 as a pharmacist and was one of the team members who initiated palliative care services at the hospital. He served in the oncology, inpatient, and outpatient departments.
For over 14 years, Mr. Fazle has been actively involved as a palliative care trainer for healthcare and social care professionals in Bangladesh. He is also a facilitator of ECHO Palliative Care & ELNEC Bangladesh Programs. He has published research on palliative care topics, including symptom management, telephonic palliative services, the frequency of prescribing palliative medications, per capita morphine consumption, and the administration of complementary and alternative medicine. He was also a team member of the national palliative care needs assessment research project, conducted in 2014. He has presented his research at many national and international conferences. He received a travelling scholarship from The Asia Pacific Hospice Palliative Care Network (APHN) to attend the 11th Asia Pacific Hospice Palliative Care Conference (APHC) in 2015, and another travelling scholarship from IAHPC in 2017 to attend the 12th APHC. He has published many articles in the ehospice, IAHPC and APHN newsletters.
He is particularly working and advocating for the development of the role of pharmacists in palliative care in Bangladesh. He has been invited by renowned government and private universities in Bangladesh to serve as a guest speaker, presenting topics such as the basics of palliative care, the pharmacist’s role in palliative care, and cancer pain management. In his current workplace, he has established a clinical course on oncology and palliative care for pharmacists, and already more than 200 pharmacists have been trained. In the year 2017, he participated in the workshop on ‘The Role of a Pharmacist in Palliative Care’ at Duke-NUS Medical School in Singapore.
In 2017, he received a grant to attend a two-week clinical placement at St. Christopher’s Hospice in London, UK, gaining valuable insights into advanced palliative care practices. In 2018, he received another grant from the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) to attend a 4-week clinical placement at Kasturba Medical College and Hospital in Manipal, India, further expanding his expertise in diverse healthcare settings.
In 2015, He first joined the IAHPC and was elected to the Board of Directors for the period 2026-2028. He has contributed his expertise to develop the Manual on the Use of Essential Palliative Care Medicines for Adults. His interests outside of palliative care include spending time with family and friends, gardening, listening to music, and traveling.